Attorney General Ken Paxton has opened an investigation into whether the University of North Texas is teaching so-called "DEI" lessons in violation of Texas law in response to an activist group's undercover video.
The video, from the conservative group Accuracy in Media, allegedly showed a staff member explaining how the school teaches banned lessons by avoiding certain keywords and titles related to diversity, equity and inclusion, according to a press release.
"This should result in immediate termination," Paxton wrote in a statement calling for the staff member to be fired. "Texas deserves better than a UNT leadership that systematically allows the worst elements of the radical Left to run its campus."
A spokesperson for UNT told KERA the staff member is no longer employed by the university.
Paxton sent a letter to the dean of the College of Public Affairs and Human Sciences, demanding a statement addressing the claims, as well as a statement detailing UNT's compliance with a 2024 state law, all DEI policies and all messages between UNT leadership and staff regarding DEI.
"The views expressed by a UNT staff member in June are inconsistent with the university's commitments and practices as a public institution to comply with state and federal laws and regulations," the spokesperson told KERA in a statement.
DEI initiatives in academia were designed to address historical inequities, which researchers have attributed to issues like higher poverty rates and lack of resources in non-white communities. That's traditionally led to lower college enrollment and program completion for Black and brown students as compared to white students. Supporters of DEI say those initiatives are also meant to promote fair treatment of veterans and people with disabilities.
DEI has been a top target for Republican Texas lawmakers who argue it's racially discriminatory against white people. In 2023, Gov. Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 17 into law, banning all programs, departments and classes that deal with DEI.
UNT has been accused by faculty and the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas of overcomplying with SB17 by editing course titles and descriptions even though the law was not supposed to affect course content.
The university denied the changes were made because of SB17, but rather to comply with Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills requirements.
In 2024 UNT's Chief Integrity Officer Clay Simmons introduced new guidance on research and academic course instruction that limited mentions of DEI.
"So if you're doing research on homelessness, you have to be very careful if you're going to focus on a certain identity within homelessness," Simmons said at the time. "So if you're looking at LGBTQ homeless individuals, then you'll have to make sure that that is narrowly-tailored within the scope of work."
The investigation follows another last year by Paxton into how the university responded to student actions on campus following the shooting of Charlie Kirk.
Dylan Duke is KERA's Breaking News Reporter. Got a tip? Email Dylan Duke at dduke@kera.org.
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